Costa Rica: cleaning hands stops the spread of drug-resistant germs

WHO has provided coordination and support for the new approach. Experts visited the hospital to improve knowledge and local capacity. WHO’s Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) worked with the hospital and helped with the translation of hand hygiene improvement tools, awareness-raising events and financial support.

The WHO programme ‘Clean Care is Safer Care’, was initially funded by the UK Department of Health International Division. The Ministry of Health provided support to start the initiative and a Costa Rican company donated the alcohol-based hand rub for the first year.